Time's Rites
by The Romulan Republic
Summary: The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves caught up in the adventures of a teenage wizard named Harry. No, not that teenage wizard named Harry. Note: this story is rated T, but its probably going to be on the line between a high T/low M in some later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so, this is an old story of mine, again originating on the StarDestroyer . net forums (it was originally inspired by an old discussion thread I started there). It is, I will confess, something of a shame of mine- I wrote it without a copy of Dresden Files on hand, entirely from memory, and there were... a lot of errors. If you want an explanation... Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey. :) I may rewrite it at some point, but for now, I'm posting it in its original form, aside from editing as necessary to conform to this site's formatting, and changing the intro/author's note. Hopefully others will find some amusement from it, if only from laughing at the errors.

Obvious disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or The Dresden Files, or anything originating therein. This story is not for profit, and I am making no money off of it.

_**TIMES' RITES**_

Somewhere infinitely remote yet closer than touch, lost in the space between realities, between past, present, and future, a blue police telephone box tumbled through time.

Inside, in an improbably large room ringed by metal stairs and doors, bathed in orangish light and centred around an eclectic console out of which rose a column of glass or some other transparent substance, a pale, slender woman with long legs and flowing red hair stood leaning against the railing of the stairs. She laughed exuberantly, her eyes dancing as they followed the frenetic movements of a gangly man in a brown tweed coat and a bright red bow tie as he dashed around the console, flipping switches, pulling levers, and muttering loudly to himself, or perhaps to the living machine that he called home. Amy Pond watched him fondly, her ragged Doctor, not at all alarmed by the ever-present rumble or the constant shuddering motion, or the occasional jolts that shook the whole control room.

"No no nono, Oh! Something's interfering with the temporal-positioning adjusters." The man slapped a hand on the console as if to wordlessly shout "Eureka!", then gripped it tightly, grinning broadly, as the whole room lurched violently, nearly causing his legs to slide out from under him on the slippery glass floor. Amy gave a slight shriek and clutched at the railing of the stairway as she stumbled, before a hand gripped her arm, steadying her. She pulled free, embarrassed, but cast a quick, appreciative smile over her shoulder at Rory, marvelling again for a moment at the fact that he was now Rory Williams/Pond, her husband. His face, however, wore an expression of mingled concern and a hint of disapproval as he watched the Doctor. She barely resisted rolling her eyes. She loved her husband dearly, or she would never have married him, but he could be such a worry wort, and he still didn't seem to entirely trust the Doctor. Well, it had taken her long enough to trust him, but Rory really needed to let go of the past and stop worrying. She tried to ignore the painful reminder that Rory had an awful lot more past to forget than most on her account. Her thoughts were interrupted as the control room shuddered violently again, but this time she was able to catch herself on the railing of the stairway. She stepped down to the floor of the control room, Rory following her carefully, figuring that it would be more stable down their.

She'd momentarily forgotten the glass floor, but she was used enough to the TARDSIS that she could mostly keep her balance when the time machine lurched again.

"Oy! Behave yourself!" The TARDIS's pilot slapped the console, casting a sharp glance upward at the column that rose from the console into the ceiling, and the complex machinery inside of it.

"Doctor", Amy called, curious. "Where are we going? Or is that when?"

"Somewhere. Some_when_. Not sure."

"Well that tells us a lot", Rory grumbled, to Amy's mild irritation. The Doctor shot him a sharp look.

"TARDIS is locked in, I can't alter course."

"But where too?", Amy asked again.

"Can't tell Amy, I'll know when we get their", the Doctor replied, then staggered as the control room shuddered again. He glanced at a view screen, and his face brightened eagerly. "Oh, looks like we should be arriving... aannny moment." The shuddering of the control room eased as the central column began to move up and down, and a deep, wheezing groan echoed through the TARDIS. With a final, slight jolt, and a deep, echoing thud, the time machine stopped shaking. The sound faded away, and all was still and quiet. Amy straightened, Rory moving up to stand a little behind her, releasing his grip on the railing. She glanced at the Doctor in anticipation.

"Well", Amy asked after a moment. "Where are we?"

The Doctor grinned eagerly, that boyish grin at the start of each adventure that could not quite hide the age or the sadness in his eyes. It made her heart beat faster, imagining what lay outside the TARDIS's front door, knowing that it was all about to being again. Even the danger. They could handle danger.

"Let's find out."

The Doctor wheeled and made for the exit on the far side of the control room. Amy bounced after him, barely slowing to snatch her jacket from the coat hanger by the door. She could sense Rory following behind her, but she didn't pause or look back. He would be their no matter what, and the knowledge made her feel a little warmer, and sadder, inside. In front of her, the Doctor had thrown open the doors and stepped out into the night, right into the middle of...

"A parking lot?" Amy's face fell, mirroring her baffled surprise. "Doctor, why are we in a parking lot?" A curious thought occurred to her, making her grin. "Ooh, is it an alien parking lot?"

The Doctor seemed not to hear her. He was glancing around inquisitively, first at the nearly empty lot, the gas pumps in the middle of the asphalt and the small store on the far side of the lot, then back at the TARDIS.

"Why did you bring me here", he muttered, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. A bright green light lit up on the end of the long, knobbly silver device, which he waved back and forth in front of him as he peered into the night.

"Doctor", she queried. "What is it?"

He continued to wave the sonic back and forth for a few moments, then finally seemed to hear her and turned, shrugging slightly.

"Hmmm... what's that? Oh, no, looks just like an ordinary parking lot." He looked slightly disappointed, matching her own sentiments. "Earth, mid-western United States, late 20th. Century, I believe." Then his features perked up, and Amy knew at once that their was something unusual here after all. "But I'm picking up an odd energy signature. Looks like its coming from inside the store."

The Doctor snapped his fingers, causing the TARDIS doors to swing shut behind them, then turned and strode away across the lot, toward the little store. Amy followed, grinning once more, with Rory a few steps behind her. They crossed the pavement quickly, and though the night was not cold, Amy reflexively drew her jacket tighter around herself as they moved away from the TARDIS, her eyes darting quickly into the deep shadows at the edges of the lot. She felt Rory tensing behind her, and knew that it wasn't just her imagination. Their was something about this dark, empty space, so ordinary yet so lifeless, that made her shiver. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like someone was... _watching_ her, with a malevolent gaze, and though she would never have said it, she was grateful for the presence of Rory a few feet behind her and of the Doctor, his face lit up faintly by the green glow of the sonic, a few paces ahead. If he was troubled, he didn't show it, just strode through the door of the little gas station like a king entering his castle. She smiled slightly, then followed him quickly inside, Rory close behind her.

The inside of the store was much like that of any other gas station store that Amy had ever been in- dull, crowded, and filled with cheap merchandise. The feeling of menace had lessened slightly, but it had not completely disappeared. A young man, just a kid really, sat behind the counter, looking both very bored and very tired. Amy could empathize, though she raised an eyebrow when he didn't even seem to notice the sonic. The Doctor, however, paid him no mind- simply strode on past him down one of the isles, the sonic held up out in front of him, turning to follow each flicker of its green light. Amy followed, wondering where all of this was going. This place didn't seem like anywhere special or dangerous or exciting, but she'd learned to expect the peculiar everywhere, especially when she was with the Doctor.

The Doctor had reached the end of the isle and turned the corner, then stopped so suddenly that Amy, having rounded the corner behind him, nearly ran right into him. She peered over his shoulder, curious as to what had brought him so abruptly to a halt, but she saw only a gangly and rather unkempt boy who looked about fifteen years old. The boy suddenly seemed to realize that someone was standing behind him and yelped, spinning so fast that she started. He was tall, slightly awkward, with sharp features and brown hair and eyes. He looked rather ordinary, if a little on the scruffy side, but their was something wary in his face, and his eyes were haunted. She looked quickly away. Something told her that it would be a bad idea to meet those eyes for long.

The boy had assumed a defensive posture, and the Doctor, in an unusual display of tact, had taken a quick step back, raising both hands in what was clearly meant to be a non-threatening gesture. Unfortunately, his right hand was still holding the sonic screwdriver. The boy's eyes fell on it, then widened slightly, and he took a step back too, his back hitting the shelf behind him.

"Stay away from me", he snapped, his voice slightly high and shaky. "Just, stay away."

"Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you", the Doctor said.

"Oh, right", snapped the boy. "So that's why you're got me cornered with your little glowey thing."

"What, my screwdriver", the Doctor asked, sounding surprised and a little hurt. Amy smirked, then sighed as the Doctor waved it around and the boy flinched. "Its' harmless." The Doctor leaned forward to peer more closely at the boy. "Why would we want to hurt you? And more importantly, why would you think we'd want to hurt you?"

The boy shrugged, though he no longer seemed angry or afraid, just uneasy and a little confused.

"Everybody does", he said bitterly. "Why should you be any different?"

Amy elbowed the Doctor aside, ignoring his indignant expression, and stepped toward the boy.

"Are you in some kind of trouble", she asked softly. "'Cause we can help", she added quickly when the kid's face tightened. "Right boys?"

"Oh, yeah, we're great at helping", the Doctor threw in, pushing forward again. "We're the best at... helping." He trailed off awkwardly. The kid was looking at the Doctor like he wasn't sure if he was sane. Amy signed. She loved the Doctor, but he had a way of attracting those sorts of looks, her mad man with a box.

"Don't mind the Doctor", Amy said. "He's mostly harmless."

The boy studied her for a moment, his eyes drifting down her legs before they snapped quickly back up, his face reddening slightly. Amy sighed inwardly. Teenagers.

"Who are you?", he asked finally.

"I'm Amy", she replied. "Amy Pond. And this is my husband Rory", she nudged him with her elbow, "and this is the Doctor." She nodded toward her other companion.

"What kind of Doctor", the boy asked.

"Oh, this and that", the Doctor replied vaguely.

"He dabbles", Rory threw in.

"So that's us", Amy said. "What's your name?"

Their was a brief silence.

"You're not..." the boy swallowed. "You're not with _him_?"

"With who?", Amy asked, confused.

The boy frowned, as if he was considering what to say next. Then his face cleared, as he seemed to make up his mind.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think you can help me. Thanks and everything, but its really not your business, so if you don't mind-"

He tried to push past them, but the Doctor reached out and caught his arm.

"Do you know that you're emitting low-level Thaumaton Radiation on an irregular frequency?"

The boy had turned to glare at the Doctor, breaking his grip, but now he just looked confused, and a little concerned.

"Tauma-What?"

The lights went out.


	2. Chapter 2

So, here's chapter II (I have about half a dozen over on SDN, which I'll post over the next day or two, after which any updates will probably be more sporadic).

**Chapter II.**

I looked back and forth between the peculiar trio that had cornered me in the back of the gas station. The girl seemed nice enough, even if she talked to me a bit like I was a little kid, or like I might break if she spoke to me too loudly. I also couldn't help noticing, despite my nerves and my weariness, despite everything that had happened that day, that she had legs to die for. I snapped my eyes quickly back up to her face, trying hard not to blush.

The gangly man with the prominent chin was waving that buzzing little green lightbulb at me again, and I repressed the impulse to bat it away, feeling uncomfortably like a bug under a magnifying glass. The second man, standing protectively behind the redhead, kept quiet, watching the conversation with a wary expression.

"Who are you", I asked after a moment. I mostly wanted to just get out of their, before Justin tracked me down, or the cops showed up looking for a runaway kid. These people couldn't help me, and I'd just get them hurt if they tried. But I didn't think they'd leave unless I convinced them I was okay, and I was irritated enough to demand a few answers of my own.

"I'm Amy", the redhead replied with a slight smile. "Amy Pond. And this is my husband Rory." She nudged him with her elbow. "And this", she nodded toward gangly, "is the Doctor."

I frowned.

"What kind of Doctor?"

"Oh, this and that", the Doctor replied vaguely. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was hiding something, though what it was I couldn't imagine. I could only guess that it was something to do with that little buzzing green light, the... what had the Doctor called it? The screwdriver? That didn't make sense.

The other guy, Rory? Rory said something, but I didn't catch it, distracted as I was. Then Amy was speaking again, and I turned my attention back to her.

"What's your name?"

I hesitated.

_Don't tell them anything_, a little voice in the back of my mind whispered. _They can't help you. Besides, why would they stick their necks out for you?_ I felt again the bitter memory of my recent betrayal, of Elaine's... wrongness, of Justin's rage as I fled the only real home I'd had since my father had died. I swallowed, a familiar ache of bitter loneliness now accentuated by the pain of betrayal.

In the end, people always let you down.

Elaine... she was the first girl I'd ever kissed, the first girl I'd ever loved, in every sense of the word. I hadn't wanted to leave her behind, but what could I do? But maybe, just maybe, this "Doctor" and his friends could do something. The cynical little voice in the back of my head scoffed, and I pretty much agreed with it, but what, I thought, did I have to lose?

Of course, for all I knew, the Doctor had been sent by Justin to find me. Maybe he'd lock me up in some nuthouse for blabbering about magic, somewhere where their'd be nowhere to run when Justin came for me. But for some reason I couldn't quite explain, I didn't think so.

I met Amy's eyes, and forced myself to speak.

"You're not... You're not with him?"

"With who", Amy asked. She sounded genuine, but I'd met good liars before.

I sighed. This was pointless. Even if they believed me, even if they were willing to help, how could I trust three complete strangers when my own foster father had tried to kill me?

"Look, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think you can help me. Thanks and everything, but its really not your business, so if you don't mind-"

I tried to shove past the trio, but someone grabbed my arm. I spun around, my heart racing, ready to slug whoever had grabbed me, and found myself face to face with the Doctor. He didn't flinch but released my arm, regarding me with a curious expression.

"Do you know that you're emitting low-level Thaumaton Radiation on an irregular frequency?"

I froze. That sounded like magic, but nothing that I was familiar with.

"Tauma-What?" Yeah, smooth under pressure, that's me.

The lights went out.

Amy glanced up at the now dark ceiling, then at the kid's frightened face and the Doctor beside her. The sensation of cold malevolence had returned, suddenly and stronger than before, feeling as though it was freezing her very soul. The Doctor was frowning hard at the sonic screwdriver, then gave it a little shake, and it took her a moment to realize that its light, too, had gone out. What could have caused that, she wondered? Their wasn't a lot that could mess with the Doctor's gadgets.

"Doctor", she asked, her voice coming out slightly high and strained. "What's going on?"

The Doctor's head snapped up, his eyes darting about as he quickly pocketed the screwdriver.

"Not sure. Not important. Come on, let's go."

She stared at him, taken aback. It wasn't like the Doctor to run away from an adventure, especially if their was a mystery. _Especially_ if someone was in trouble, which the kid obviously was. But the Doctor was backing slowly down the aisle the way they had come, his eyes seeming to leap between every shadow.

"But, Doctor, what about-" she gestured at the boy, who was likewise watching the shadows, his back to the wall, his eyes wide and his expression bordering on panicked.

"He's right", the Doctor said, his voice strained, a forced calm. "Not our business. Now move along Pond." He tried to sound all light and cheery, but she'd gotten pretty good at reading her Doctor, at least as much as anyone could, and she saw right through the lie.

"But Doctor, what about-" she began to protest, but Rory gripped her hand, gently but firmly, and turned her around, guiding her back down the aisle. She opened her mouth to protest, indignant, but the Doctor nudged her after Rory, keeping his eyes fixed on the boy as he backed slowly away, keeping between the kid and her and Rory. The way you might act if you found yourself face to face with a vicious dog, she thought oddly, or a bear. She followed Rory, her thoughts racing, and tried not to notice the look of disappointment and betrayal that flickered across the kid's face.

They rounded the corner and headed toward the exit, almost jogging in the dark, narrow aisle. Rory had let go of her hand, probably so as not to slow her down, but they kept pace with one another. They both slowed, however, as they reached the checkout counter. The young clerk looked a lot more awake now, his face pale and his wide eyes starring, his mouth working wordlessly.

"Move", Rory said tersely, reaching around the counter and yanking him into the aisle toward the entrance. He gave the young man a push, sending him stumbling toward the door, Amy and Rory following close behind him. Amy heard a muffled crash and a high-pitched yelp of pain and fear coming from the back of the store, and she glanced back over her shoulder, her fears receding slightly as she saw the Doctor hurrying down the aisle behind them. She saw no sign of the kid, however. She paused, wanting to ask again what was going on, but the Doctor hurried past her without slowing.

"Come on Pond, don't dawdle."

And so, reluctantly, she followed him and Rory, wondering what was happening, and trying to ignore the gnawing guilt she felt at running away, at leaving someone behind.

The parking lot was still empty, and it seemed darker now, colder. She could see the TARDIS, half-hidden in shadows on the other side of the lot, its blue light flaring like a beacon in the night, promising shelter and safety behind its shields, but the others seemed to be moving more slowly now, like they were running through deep water. Her own movements felt slow as well, clumsy and lethargic. She tried to open her mouth to ask the Doctor what was happening, but she couldn't make any sounds come out. The whole world seemed to have ground to a halt, like in a bad dream where you know something is chasing you but you can't run away. She could see the profile of the Doctor's face, his features taut, his eyes hard; and Rory's face, half-turned over one shoulder toward her, his expression anxious.

She heard a crash from behind her, the sound of shattering glass, the sound seeming distorted as well. She tried to turn around, but she couldn't move, couldn't even breath. Her chest felt tight, constricted, her heart beating much too fast, cold fear gnawing at her guts and making her limbs tremble as she futily tried to get away.

Then the malevolent presence rolled over her like a black wave, and she felt immovable claws grip her right shoulder and throat and lift her off the ground.

I hit the cement in front of the gas station hard, scraping my chin and hands on the rough pavement. I barely felt it between the pounding in my head and the terror of the demon behind me. I tried to climb to my feet, but before I could get my bearings, a vicious blow struck me across my right shoulder, spinning me like a top. The world blurred, and then I was lying on my back, facing the large front window of the gas station, every bone and muscle in agony. I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizzy nausea washed over me, and I gagged. I sat sprawled their, head spinning, heart pounding as I tried to get my bearings.

I could see the parking lot reflected in the glass of the store's front window, the blurred figures of the odd trio who'd confronted me in the store, Amy and whatshisname and the strange "Doctor". The clerk from the store was with them too, a little ahead of them, but they seemed to be frozen in mid-stride, as though time had slowed to a standstill.

And their, between us, stood the demon named He Who Walks Behind.

It was almost human-shaped, maybe, but distorted and _wrong_, and blacker than the night. It turned to me, fixing me with an inhuman stare- and then it smiled.

I've seen some strange and terrible things in my life, but nothing compares to that smile. It was cold, and cruel, filled with hatred and malice and delight in the pain of all living things. The demon smiled- and then it moved, impossibly fast, so fast that it was less a blur and more like it had simply shifted from one spot to another, like I was watching a film that had just jumped a few seconds forward. Then it was standing behind Amy, wrapping its claws around her throat, lifting her into the air. I began to lurch to my feet, a reflexive motion, then froze, uncertain. I wanted to help her. I didn't want Amy to get hurt because of me, because the demon was here for me. But what could I do? I couldn't stop this thing. I couldn't do anything.

And then the Doctor and Rory were moving, whatever spell had immobilized them broken. They were shouting, frantic words spilling from their mouths, though I couldn't make out the details. The thing lifted Amy further off the ground and they froze, a few paces away on either side of the thing. The Doctor was shouting, his words spilling out rapid-fire, tinged with forced calm on the edge of panic, and something darker, bubbling just below the surface.

"Wait! Wait don't! Whatever you want. Let's just talk about this, okay?"

"Doctor-" Rory began, his voice strained, terrified.

"Don't worry Rory, she'll be alright, I promise."

The demon spoke, its voice grating like nails on the chalkboard of the soul, yet somehow amused.

"I do not think that likely, Doctor."

The Doctor turned to face him.

"What do you want?"

The demon laughed, sending shivers dancing along my spine.

"I want many things, Doctor. I want to hunt. To kill. To taste the terror of the mortal race, their pain and their despair. I want to stand in the ashes of this plane as the stars burn out. But what I want right now is answers.

Your companions are mortal. They matter not. The young mageling and I are already acquainted, and we will conclude our business soon enough." I swallowed. "But you, Doctor... you are something different. I sense your power, yet it is unfamiliar. Alien. Who are you? What are are you?"

"But you already know that", the Doctor replied. "I'm the Doctor."

The creature hissed, and shook Amy's limp body like a rag doll. Rory and the Doctor both took a step toward her, then froze, standing helplessly a few paces away from the demon and its hostage.

"DO YOU THINK TO SPORT WITH ME", the demon snarled, its voice made more terrible by its fury. "I AM NOT SOME MORTAL ANIMAL, SOME LESSER FAE OR DEMON TO BE GULLED WITH CLEVER WORDS! I AM THE HUNTER, THE GREATEST OF THE WALKERS! I AM HE WHO WALKS BEHIND! ANSWER MY QUESTIONS TRUE, OR YOU WILL WATCH AS YOUR COMPANIONS DIE SCREAMING. THE MORTAL WOMAN AND HER MATE, THE MAGELING, THE MORTAL ATTENDANT. AND LAST OF ALL, WHILE THEIR SCREAMS STILL LINGER IN YOUR EARS, LAST OF ALL WILL I COME FOR YOU, AND YOUR DEATH WILL BE AS SLOW AS THE DYING OF THE STARS." Its voice returned to that quite, cultured tone, though laced with no less fury. "How do you answer, Doctor?"

The Doctor stood silent for a moment, then drew himself up. When he spoke, his voice was too calm.

"Alright. Alright. What do you want to know."

The demon was silent for a moment, and I thought its grip on the girl's throat tightened. Rory took a step towards her, though he couldn't have reached her in time, or done anything if he had. I could see it on his face, even in the blurry reflection in the window's glass, desperate fear and frustration. I wondered if it was how my face had looked when I fled Justin's mansion, leaving Elaine behind.

Then the demon relaxed its grip, letting Amy's feet drop to the ground, though it did not release its hold upon her.

"Your name, Doctor", it said. "Tell me your name."

Silence.

The demon didn't move, but a tension seemed to gather around it, the thought before the action.

"Alright", the Doctor said again, his shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "Let her go, and I'll tell you my name."

The demon hissed, tightening its grip on Amy's throat, and I thought I heard her gasp in pain. At least I knew she was still alive.

"This is not a trade, Doctor. My patience wears thin."

The Doctor stood regarding the monster for a moment. I heard Rory's voice, raw and desperate.

"Doctor its killing her-"

"I don't have a choice!", the Doctor snapped. He turned to face the demon again. "Alright. I'll tell you who I am. Its a pity though. I really would have liked to ask you a few questions. What you are, why you're here, just what you want with the wizard. I mean, sure, he's a wizard, but he's just a child. Their's nothing special about him, no great power. Clearly its not to kill him, you could have done that a dozen times over-"

Surprise made me turn to face him, despite myself.

The demon vanished, releasing its grip on Amy. She dropped to the ground where she crumpled limply. Rory ran to her and knelt beside her.

Something slammed into me with vicious strength, driving me to the pavement again. Through a blur of pain I felt the demon grip me, and my heart leapt into my throat as I felt certain that it was about to rip me apart. Their was a nauseating blur of motion, and then I hit the ground again, hard. I was winded for a few moments, but I was dimly aware that it had dropped me a few feet away from that odd blue box, on the other side of the parking lot.

And that was when I heard it.

Its difficult to describe the sound, to someone who's never heard it. A deep, groaning, wheezing that echoed through the air, through your bones, through your very soul. A gust of wind accompanied the sound as air was displaced, wafting over the parking lot. It was accompanied by a surge of indescribable energy and power. I don't know if anyone else felt it, though I'd bet that the Walker did. Maybe its just a wizard thing. It felt warm, almost hot, but not painfully so. It swirled around us, wrapping us in its embrace. Their was a deep, echoing thud. Then silence. But only for a moment.

The demon _screamed_ with incoherent rage, and I felt the ground tremble slightly beneath me from its fury. I heard a gasp of pain, and guessed that it had struck the Doctor. It was shrieking in rage, its words almost incoherent in its wrath, and I didn't dare to to look behind me to try to see what was happening, didn't dare to even move in case I drew its attention to me again.

"YOU DARE DEFY ME? THEN WITNESS THE PRICE!"

The Walker blurred, and I saw it reflected in the windows of the nearest car, as it wrapped its hands around the gas station attendant's throat and torso. The Doctor started forward, his hand outstretched.

"No wait-"

Their was a motion, a sick, wet, ripping sound, a splash of wet, dark liquid. I felt some of the droplets hit the back of my head and neck. Others speckled the glass in front of me.

Three hunks of wet, mangled meat hit the ground. My stomach heaved, and I retched onto the pavement.

The demon had ripped the boy apart, for no other reason than to send the Doctor a message.

"That was a mistake." I blinked, wiping vomit away from my mouth with my sleeve. The Doctor's voice sounded different now. Colder. Harder.

"ANSWER ME NOW, DOCTOR, OR THE MAGE SHALL SHARE HIS FATE!"

"Oh, we both know that's just talk. Like I said, you're not hear to kill him. I'm not sure why you are here, but that really doesn't matter now. Because you killed someone, someone under my protection. So no deals, no demands, no name. No talk." The Doctor was stalking toward the Walker, past the gas pumps in the centre of the parking lot. I saw one loosely swinging arm tangle in the hose of the middle pump, a clumsy mistake. The Doctor shook it free, yanking the hose lose, and gasoline began spilling onto the pavement. The Doctor continued pacing forward, toward the demon. "Its just you and me now. And now your time is up."

You got that wrong, Doc, I thought. My heart was still pounding, my limbs shaking with fear, but something else was rising up in me, pushing out the terror. Anger, burning hot and bright. I slowly raised my arm behind me, using the monster's reflection to aim, gathering my will and my power for a spell greater and more destructive than any I had ever cast before. I smiled as the word for the spell formed in my mind.

The demon snarled. It blurred toward the Doctor again, sending him flying across the lot. I heard him hit something with a tinkle of shattering glass. It must have been a parked car, I guess. The demon was standing where the Doctor had been, right next to the pumps, in the middle of a spreading pool of gasoline.

"I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB", it howled.

"No", I said. My voice came out high-pitched and thready, but at least I sounded calmer than I felt. "You won't."

The demon turned toward me, and I released the spell.

"**Fuego!**"

A wide, wild jet of fire shot from my hand, expanding out to engulf the demon, the pumps, and the nearest cars. The spreading pool of gasoline went up in a sheet of fire that raced across the little lot. Car after car went up.

For a moment the demon rose out of the inferno, its screams echoing across the parking lot.

"YOU DARE TO RAISE YOUR HAND AGAINST ME!"

Then the pumps exploded, one after another in rapid succession. The explosion threw me against the nearest car, and I think I blacked out. When I came too, I could hear the fire roaring behind me, feel its heat singing my hair and the back of my neck. Bits of flaming debris littered the lot around me, and the asphalt was starting to melt. I pushed myself to my feet, swaying, then turned around, flinching as two more cars on the far side of the lot blew apart. Flaming debris rained down on the gas station. I saw the roof catch fire and begin to burn.

Their was no sign of the demon, or the Doctor, or his companions. Just a blue phone box, standing untouched in the middle of the roaring inferno.

That wasn't where it was supposed to be, I thought vaguely.

"You alright?"

I spun 'round, raising my arm and calling my new fire spell to mind once more, though I didn't think I'd have the strength to cast it again. It took me a moment to realize that I was staring into the pale face of the Doctor. His hair was a wild mess, stained with dirt and soot, his clothes tattered, but he gave me a small, tired smile. Next to him was...

I blinked. The blue box was standing next to him, lit orange and red by the flickering light of the flames. I looked back at the inferno. Sure enough, a second blue box was sitting in the middle of the roaring flames, having apparently materialized from nowhere. I looked back at the Doctor, who was grinning now.

"Interesting trick", he said, nodding from me to the firestorm beside us. I looked away, embarrassed, then glanced between the two boxes once more.

"Same to you", I said.

The Doctor put an arm around my shoulder and guided me toward the box, but I dragged my feet. I suddenly remembered that I knew nothing about this man, and that whoever, [i]what[/i]ever he was, he was clearly more than ordinary For all I knew, this was some trick of Justin's. Send a demon after me, have the Doctor show up and save me, earn my trust, only to deliver me right back into my mentor's hands.

The Doctor stepped back, regarding me quietly.

"You don't trust me."

I swallowed, trying not to let my fear show.

"Any reason why I should?"

The Doctor considered it for a moment. Then he smiled.

"Only one way to find out."

He opened the door of the blue box, and stepped inside.

I stood their a moment, then sighed.

What the hell. It wasn't like I had anywhere else to go.

I followed the Doctor inside.


	3. Chapter 3

I followed the Doctor through the doors of the strange blue box, and stopped short as that indescribable energy I'd felt before washed over me like a vast tide. I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open, but I don't remember much for the next minute or so.

I was standing in a circular room; an impossibly large, circular room. The floor was glass, and beneath it I could see a tangle of great, intricate machines. The walls were metallic and white, and stairs ran up to doors leading... somewhere. In the middle of the room sat a sort of control station?- covered in buttons and levers and stranger things. A translucent column rose from its centre to join with the ceiling. A warm, orangish light bathed the entire chamber. I'd seen magic and monsters, but I'd never even heard of something like this. It felt alien, and yet strangely... homey. I starred, from the controls to the high ceiling to the Doctor, standing in the middle of the room with an odd, almost alien smile playing across his soot-stained face. I looked back over my shoulder, through the door, partly to convince myself that this was real and partly to reassure myself that the outside world was still their. I could see orange light and shadows flickering in the darkness, and hear the crackle of flames, punctuated by little hisses and pops, and a sudden loud bang of a tire bursting. I looked quickly away. Part of me wanted to dash outside, to confirm what my eyes saw but my reason and experience told me were impossible, but the rest of me didn't want to set foot out their again, with the fire and the demon and the... bodies. I imagined Amy and whatwasshisname?- Rory. I imagined Amy and Rory lying amid the flames, beside the three pieces of the boy, their clothes and skin drying and withering in the flames, charing before they burst into crackling flame...

I shuddered and nearly gagged again as I turned away from the door, facing the Doctor. To my surprise, he was still smiling, the expression incongruous and unnerving after everything that had happened that night.

"What..." I trailed off, swallowed, and tried again. "What is this place?"

"Its the TARDIS", he replied. "My ship."

"It's..." I trailed off again, feeling foolish saying the obvious, even if it was obviously impossible.

The Doctor grinned.

"Go on, say it."

"Its... bigger on the inside." The Doctor mouthed the words along with me, grinning. I flushed, feeling like he was making fun of me, but he just kept grinning, then clapped his hands and spun toward the console.

"How's about we take her for a spin?"

Before I could reply or figure out what the hell he was talking about, the Doctor began working the controls, still addressing me without taking his eyes off the console.

"Could you just close that door behind you, their's a good lad." I blinked, then scrambled to comply, deliberately keeping my eyes averted from the lot and the flames outside. No sooner had I shut the door than I felt an incredible power thrum through the air, through my bones, though my magic and into my soul. That indescribable sound echoed around me again, and I felt the floors, the whole room, begin to shake. I grabbed a coat stand next to the door, a detached part of my mind noting how strangely out of place a coat stand seemed in a place that looked like it had come out of an H.G. Wells novel or something, and I barely managed to keep my feet. My head was still swimming a little from the beating I'd taken, and each jolt sent a burst of pain through my cranium. I could hear the Doctor shouting something as I gritted my teeth and tried not to throw up or pass out, but I couldn't make out the words. Then the shuddering slowed and stopped, and I heard again that deep, groaning, wheezing noise that seemed to come from everywhere at once. I opened my eyes for a moment, then yelped and sprang back, hitting the wall behind me hard enough to hurt.

A shape, no, two shapes, pale and translucent, were fading in and out of sight in the centre of the... control room, the solidity of the images waxing and waning in time with the rising and falling sound. I starred as the shapes slowly resolved into the figures of Amy and Rory. She was lying on the floor, like I had last seen her in the parking lot. Her face was pale, almost white, and a thin line of blood trickled from a small cut on her throat. I felt a moment of panic before I saw that she was breathing. Rory knelt beside her, one hand holding her's, the other checking her pulse. He'd looked up momentarily when they materialized inside the TARDIS, but after a moment, he completed his cursory examination, then turned to the Doctor as he came hurrying over.

"I think she'll be okay." The relief in Rory's voice was palpable. As he spoke, Amy groaned and sat up, despite Rory's gentle effort to keep her lying down. She smiled at her husband, then turned to the Doctor. Rory's glance flickered briefly to me.

"What about the other one?"

The Doctor's face fell slightly, his boyish enthusiasm fading, and for a moment he looked ancient, and very tired.

"I couldn't save him."

Rory didn't answer, just helped Amy to her feet and guided her towards the stairs and the doorway on the far side of the room. She protested weakly, and after a few moments, in which Amy insisted that she really was alright, honestly, and she didn't need her boys babying her, Rory reluctantly helped her sit down next to the console, keeping one arm around her to support her as she leaned tiredly against him. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week, and a thread of mostly dried blood still ran down her throat, but she managed a tired grin at me. I smiled back uncertainly, then turned back to the Doctor.

"So", Amy began after a few moments. "What the hell was that... that thing?"

"An ancient being", the Doctor said quietly, his voice cold. "Something from Outside." I noted that he said "Outside" like it was capitalized.

"Outside?"

"Outside our reality. All realities."

I had so many questions, so _many_ questions, that I couldn't think where to start. Eventually one thought managed to break through the general tangle long enough for me to give it voice.

"How did..." I glanced at Amy and Rory, then back to the Doctor.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Short-range time jump. I'm usually not so precise, but the old girl really came through this time." He patted the console affectionately.

"Wait- time jump?", I blurted, my eyes going wide as the words penetrated my dazed and confused brain. "Are you saying this thing... travels in time?"

"Well of course", the Doctor replied, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world, and I was being rather silly for asking. "It wouldn't be much of a time machine otherwise, would it?"

I shook my head mutely, still trying to wrap my head around it.

"So... you... what, jumped back in time to pick up your friends? After the..." I swallowed. "After it let them go?"

He nodded. It took me a moment to realize that that meant that He Who Walks Behind was still outside, that at that very moment I might be calling up fire to hurl at it. I backed quickly away from the walls, looking around as though I half-expected it to appear inside the control room, which to be honest, I did.

"Oh, we're perfectly safe in here", the Doctor said, as though he had read my mind. "TARDIS shields. The legions of Rome couldn't break down those doors." I saw Amy glance at Rory, grinning slightly, and he shifted uncomfortably.

I nodded, not feeling terribly reassured. The legions of Rome might not be able to enter, but the legions of Rome didn't have superhuman strength and speed, hideous mind powers, or the ability to always be standing directly behind you. I flinched, and resisted the urge to look over my shoulder. It wouldn't do any good anyway. On the other hand, I tried to reassure myself, the Doctor had a lot more power than anything else I'd ever encountered. Even Justin had never shown me anything like this.

Then again, Justin had never shown me how to summon demons either.

What the hell was I going to do now? I couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't sound scared or stupid, so I just stood their mutely, feeling like an idiot, and completely out of my depth. Weariness overcame me and I leaned against the wall, letting myself slide slowly to the floor. I heard someone approaching and looked up to see Amy standing over me. Her face was still pale, and Rory hovered anxiously just over her shoulder, but she seemed steady on her feet as she kneeled beside me.

"Its a lot to take in, isn't it?"

I nodded. I realized, in a rare moment of intuition, that she'd probably experienced a day a lot like this one once, and I wondered what Amy had been before she met the Doctor, and weather she ever regretted it. She met my eyes, and before I could jerk them away, I found myself being drawn forward into what I recognized, in panic, as a Soul Gaze.

One of the things about being a wizard, don't ask me how or why, is that if you look into another person, another human being's eyes, you get a glimpse of their soul, their true nature- and they get a look at your's. And what you see you never, ever forget. It never fades, never goes away. Its their in your memory, forever.

I'd only Soul Gazed someone once before, and what I'd seen in Elaine's soul that night still moved me. I'd done my best to avoid gazing anyone else- what I'd seen in Elaine had been beautiful, but also frightening, and I didn't know what I'd see if I looked in someone else. Besides, I didn't like the idea of someone seeing into me like that, and I doubted most other people would be any more comfortable with the idea than I was. But I'd been taken off-guard, still caught up in thinking about all the impossible things that had happened to me since I woke up that morning, and before I knew it I was being pulled into the Soul Gaze, as Amy's eyes seemed to grow and expand to swallow me up.

I fell through darkness, and landed on... grass?

I looked up.

I was standing in a garden, outside what looked like an old fashioned country home, somewhere in Europe maybe. Probably England or Scotland, given the trio's accents. It was night, and the stars shone brightly overhead. A cool breeze rustled the branches and bushes. It felt peaceful, safe. Like home. But I sensed something lurking in the shadows, a nameless, invisible menace hiding just out of sight.

Sitting on the grass in the middle of the garden, atop a bulging suitcase and bundled in warm clothes, was a little girl. She couldn't have been older than... ten, maybe? She had a pale face, bright eyes, and long red hair. Despite the difference in years, I knew, somehow, beyond any doubt, that this was Amy. She was looking up at the stars, her expression earnest, joyful and yearning.

Time passed. It can't have been more than seconds, but it felt like ages. I watched as the hope and joy slowly fell away from that youthful face. I watched as night changed to day and day to night, as seasons and years flew past, and her face aged, childish enthusiasm replaced by a weary cynicism as the garden withered around her.

Now another person joined Amy in the garden. Rory: not the Rory I'd seen that night, but younger, happier, if somehow... goofier. Rory as Amy saw him. He sat beside her, never leaving her side, his attention never wavering from her, and I sensed the strength and comfort she drew from his presence.

Then I heard that indescribable sound, the sound of the TARDIS, echoing through the garden. At first Amy seemed not to notice, but as the sound grew louder, more persistent, I saw her look up, her attention drawn toward it. A blue light began to flicker in and out, washing over the garden, and I saw the years of cynicism and loneliness and fear fall away from Amy's face as a light returned to her eyes. She ran after the sound, and Rory followed, chasing her through the garden. A deep boom echoed through the air and the world seemed to dissolve, falling away beneath Amy's feet. Rory reached for her hand and she took it, and they fell together and I was falling with them, falling through space, the stars far brighter and harder and more numerous than they had ever been on Earth. It was beautiful, and exhilarating, and terrifying, and a powerful surge of emotion ran through me, making me want to cry out, to weep, to shout for joy.

We tumbled through stars, no up or down, past blazing suns and empty night, raging infernos and the swirling colours of nebulas, until one brilliant Sun grew brighter before us, orange and blinding white fire expanding to fill my vision. Amy and Rory fell into the fire, their forms lost in that blaze of incandescent light-

I jerked back, gasping, as the Soul Gaze ended. I stared at Amy, my heart pounding. Her face was even paler than usual, and she looked close to hyperventilating. Rory crouched beside her, his expression concerned, and for a moment I was struck with a powerful sense of deja vu. I knew that the Rory in the Soul Gaze would follow Amy to the ends of the universe. Just as I knew that it would destroy them both, and that even knowing that, they'd make the same choices all over again.

"Amy, are you alright? What happened?"

She blinked at Rory, shook her head as though to clear her thoughts, then turned her head toward me. I didn't meet her eyes, even though I knew a Soul Gaze could happen only once between two people. I didn't know what she'd seen in me to frighten her so badly, and I didn't want to.

"Sorry", I mumbled, my eyes on the floor. I could see a green light blinking on one of the great pieces of alien machinery below me.

"Doctor", Amy asked. I looked up, wondering if the Doctor knew what had just happened, and if he would explain it so I didn't have.

"Their are stories", he said slowly. "About looking a wizard in the eye. That they can see into you, see your true nature. I never gave much credence to them."

Amy eyed me warily.

"I guess... I guess it works both ways then."

"Its... its called a Soul Gaze", I muttered, still not meeting anyone's eyes. "When a wizard looks you in the eye, they can see your soul, and you can see their's. It only happens once though", I added quickly, trying to reassure them. I'd always kept quiet about my powers around those who didn't know. Most people, if you told them you were a wizard, would think you were nuts.

If they saw the proof for themselves, they'd usually be scared.

I didn't want Amy, and Rory, and the Doctor, to be afraid of me. True, they seemed a bit more used to this sort of thing than most people, and people who lived in impossibly large time machines couldn't throw stones when it came to having weird and scary powers, but I didn't want to spook them any more than they already were. Amy and Rory seemed like good people, people I'd have liked to call friends under different circumstances. And the Doctor... well, I hadn't quite figured out if I liked him, or was afraid of him.

"Well", said Amy briskly, turning to the Doctor. "That's a relief then, isn't it?"

"Are you sure you're alright Amy", Rory asked, shooting me an annoyed look over her shoulder.

"I'm fine Rory, really", Amy insisted. "Doctor, we're going to help him, right?" She looked at me, and I felt a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time spreading through me at her words. Amy wasn't afraid of me. Or, if she was, she still wanted to help me. Even though she had no reason to, and plenty of reason to be terrified of me.

Five minutes ago, I might have wondered what her real motive was. But now I knew, because I'd seen it written in her soul.

Amy Pond was a good person.

"'Course we are", the Doctor replied, brushing past Amy and striding across the control room to face me. I stood quickly, if still a little unsteadily.

Hey, cut me some slack. Its not every day you find out that your only family is a monster, lose the girl you love, get a demon sent after you, find out time machines are real, and then get pulled into an unexpected Soul Gaze. Hang on- time machine?

An idea began to form, but the Doctor interrupted me before I could get a firm grasp on it.

"Now, then", the Doctor was saying. "Who was it sent an Outsider after you? You know, don't you?"

I swallowed. I suddenly had a feeling that it would be a very, very bad idea to lie to the Doctor.

"It was... I mean, I think it was Justin. My... I guess he's my foster father."

"Your own father sent that thing after you?" Amy sounded horrified, and Rory looked, I thought, a little ill.

"Foster father", I emphasized. "He adopted me, a while after my dad died. I guess it was just after I-" I glanced nervously between the trio, then realized that their was no point in hiding it. They already knew what I was. "Just after I first used magic. He raised me, he gave me a home, he taught me everything I know about magic..." I trailed off as the memories nearly overwhelmed me. No one spoke. I swallowed, took a deep breath, and went on.

"Not long after he adopted me" -I stumbled over the words, the memories causing a fresh pang of loss and betrayal- "he adopted a girl. Her name was Elaine. We... she..." I trailed off miserably. I looked up when I felt Amy's hand on my shoulder.

"You're in love with her." It wasn't a question. I nodded.

"What happened?"

"Justin... Justin must have done something to her. When I came home from school today, she was... different. Wrong, somehow." I knew I was being vague, that I probably sounded like I was just paranoid, or crazy, or slow or something, but I had to make them understand. They'd seen the demon, they'd have to believe me. Right?

"Wrong how", the Doctor asked, his gaze sharp, inquisitive.

"I don't know, I don't know how to describe it. Just- trust me, okay? I know Elaine. That wasn't Elaine."

"So you ran away", Amy said.

I nodded.

"Justin was furious. I knew... I was afraid he'd kill me if I went back, or do something to me like he did to Elaine." I didn't add what I was thinking then- that I'd left Elaine behind.

"You were smart", Rory said. "How's it go? Run away, live to fight another day?"

I snorted.

"I wasn't really thinking past the "running away" part."

"Didn't you have a plan?" The Doctor sounded indignant.

"Oi, listen to the pot calling the kettle black", Amy said with a smile.

"I have plans", the Doctor protested. Amy raised an eyebrow. "Okay, well, mostly I make them up as I go along. But those are the best kind of plan!"

I grinned. Their was something infectious about the Doctor's enthusiasm, and the easy banter between these three. It felt like... family.

"Look", I began. "I really appreciate everything... everything you've done for me, but I can't ask you to get involved. Justin's dangerous. He'll kill you."

They'd already almost died because of me, and I couldn't ask them to face still more horror and danger. Without my fire spell, the demon would have killed the Doctor. And, I suddenly realized, if the Doctor had died their, he couldn't have gone back to rescue Rory and Amy. They _all_ would have died, simply because they stopped to talk to me. And this time, we had no guarantees that everything would work out. I'd gotten a lucky shot in, with the Doctor's help, but I knew that I was no match for Justin DuMourne in a wizard's duel.

But the Doctor just smiled, and their was an edge to it now.

"He'll try", the Doctor said. "But their's something your Justin doesn't know." He grinned. "I'm the man who stops the monsters."

In a burning parking lot somewhere in rural America, a pair of feline eyes watched as a blue police call box faded out of reality, accompanied by an unearthly wheezing, groaning sound. A gust of wind made the fires dance and flicker, and then all was silent save for the crackling and popping of the flames.

"Well", said a richly feminine voice. "This will be interesting."

With a swish of rustling fabric, the watcher turned and vanished, just as the sounds of the fast-approaching sirens pierced the night.


End file.
